Improvement in sheet-delivery apparatus for printing-machines



G. B. COTTRELL. Sheet-Delivery Apparatus for Printing-Maohnesf Patented May 14, 1878.

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)UNITED STATES PATENT CFT-11er'.

GALVERT B. COTTRE-LL, OF: WESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND.

' IMPROVEMENT IN SHEET-DELIVERYAPPARTUS FOR PRINTING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent 203,709, dated May 14, 1878; application filed December 10, 1877.

To all whom it 'may concern: l'

Be it known that I, GALVERT B. GOTTRELL, of Westerly, in the county of Washington and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet-De'- livery Apparatus for Printing Machines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification. A i

lThis invention more particularly relates to printing presses in which a reciprocating type-bed is combined with a rotating impression-cylinder, and is applicable alike to stopcylinder presses, in which the impression-cylinder remains stationary during the travel of the reciprocating bed in one direction, and to two-revolution cylinder presses, in which the impression-cylinder has a continuous motion, but makes two revolutions for each travel of the bed in opposite directions. One of the objects of the invention is to obviate the necessity of putting aV delivery-ily under the feed-board of such presses, and thereby to afford all desirable facility for putting in the forms, overlaying, and underlaying, and correcting them.

Another object of the invention is toy trans-v fer the sheet from the impression-cylinder to the receiving bed or table with its printed face uppermost, and to pile the sheets uniformly on said table without having resort to a fly operating to receive the printed surface of the sheet on its face, which is apt to smut the sheet.

To these and other ends the invention consists in a combination of a vibratin g fly-frame, having attached gripers for floating or carrying the sheet by its one edge, a reciprocating type-bed, a rotating impression cylinder, a feed board or table for feeding the sheet to said cylinder, and a sheet-receiving table or board on the opposite end of the machine to that occupied by the feed-board.

The invention also consists in the combination, with a vibrating or swinging fly-frame, of gripers,which are so pivot-ed to the said frame and counterbalanced by weightsas to keep their jaws in, or nearly in, a horizontal position, whereby, after taking the sheet from the cylinder by seizing one edge, they are enabled to carryV it floating in the air, and without other support, to the receiving-table.

It furthermore consists in certain means of effecting and controlling the necessary movement of the gripers by which they seize the sheets in taking them from the impressioncylinder and liberate them, to deposit them on the receiving-board.

f Figure l represents a side elevation of a printing-press, in part, in which a two-revolution impression-cylinder is combined with a reciprocating type-bed with my invention applied; and Fig. 2 is a plan of the same.

A is the main frame of the press. which frame may be of any suitable construction; B, its feed board or table; C, its impressioncylinder; D, the reciprocating type-bed; and E, the receiving board or table for the printed sheets. G Gr are the gripers of the impression-cylinder, and I a shoo-fly, which may or may not be combined therewith. The means for operating the impression-cylinder, its gripers, shoo-iiy, and the typebed may be similar to those usually employed in otherpresses;

and the relative action of said devices is or may be the same, the two-revolutionimpression-cylinder being here represented asreceiving its motion from a shaft, H, by gearing a b.

K is the vibrating or rocking fly-frame, carpart of it, and which is arranged immediately `in front or over the forward edgeV of thev sheetreceiving board or table E, which latter is arranged at the opposite end of the press to that occupied by the feed-board.. Said iiyframe H is here represented as being rocked forward and backward, to take the sheet from the impression-cylinder and to convey it to or over the receiving-board by means of a crank, d, on the shaft H, connecting-rod e, and a crank, j', on the shaft c of the iiy-frame; but a cam or any other suitable motion may be substituted for the crank-movement.

L L are the gripers or nippers of the rocking iiy-frame K. The lower jaws of these gripers are rigidly attached toa spindle, h, which pivots them to the y-frame K, being fitted to rock freely in bearings in the outer ends of the said frame; and the upper jaws of the said gripers are pivoted to the lower ones by a spindle, t', to which is applied the spring la for closing them. The said spindle h has also secured to it weighted arms or Weights l, which so counterbalance the gripers that, although the fly may swing nearly half a circle in its movement from the impression-cylinder to the receiving-board, the jaws of the gripers,

being capable of a swinging movement indev .In order to make a rigid connection between the lower jaws of the gripers and the ily-frame K at the-time'of taking the printed sheet from the cylinder, there are provided on the iiy' frame stops m, against which shoulders on the arms of said jaws, are brought in contact,

as shown in Fig. l, by the weights l, when the Iiy arrives in a position to take the sheet.'

After the shouldershave thus come in contact with the stops m the gripers L L are opened to take the sheet by a stud on an arm, n, fast on the spindle i, which carries the upper jaws, coming down on a cam, r, carried by the impression-cylinder. Slo soon, however, as said cam has passed from under the stud of the arm n'the gripers L close on the sheet by the action of the spring k, and thel swinging gripers ail/ford all the necessary accommodation, and yield in starting back with the sheet as the rocking ily-frame commences to rise and move from the impression-cylinder toward the receiving-board'E.

VAs the rocking fly-frame K completes its backward movement to deposit the sheet on the pile, .either weight of the gripers L passes `down or over a stop, s, which serves to keep the gripers in proper position for delivery oi" The sheet, v

the sheet and for laying or gently dropping it on the pile in a uniform manner, and for making a uniform pile, the spring-jaws of the gripers L being opened when delivering the sheet by the stud on its arm n striking axed stop, u, asfthe'weighted gripers rest onor are supported by the stop s.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a cylinder-press hav ing a reciprocating type-bed, of a feed-table, B, at one end of the press, a receiving board or table, E, at the opposite end thereof, and a Vibrating or swinging ily-frame, provided with gripers and detached from the type-bed, and operating between the impression cylinder and the receiving-table,'to'take the sheet from said cylinder and deposit it upon said table, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with gripers pivoted into a swinging fly-frame, substantially as herein described, of counterbalancing arms or weights applied to the said gripers, substantially. as herein described,iwhereby they are maintained'in a horizontal, or approximately horizontal, position during the whole movement of the fly-frame, as herein set forth.

3. 'The combination, with the vibrating or swinging y-frame and counterbalanced gripers pivoted therein, substantially as herein described, of oneor more stops, m, on the said iyframe, against which the gripers are brought and held by their counter-balances preparatory to and during their opening to take the sheet, substantially as and for the purposel herein set forth. v

4. The combination, with the vibrating or swinging iiy-frame and counterbalanced gripers pivoted therein, of one or more fixed stops, s, for supporting and directing the said gripers at the time of their delivery-of thel sheet, substantially as herein described.

' C. B. COTTBELL.` Witnesses: v

HENRY T. BROWN, FRED. HAYNES. 

